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Old 09-16-2010, 01:29 PM
 
362 posts, read 692,894 times
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I guess I must be getting old or some thing. I got to thinking about the old home town and what it had to offer a farm boy growing up. There was the fair in the summer with the tractor dealers displaying all the lattest and greatest. As a lover of farm tractors even today with a collection of 20 from 1938 to 1957 it was like being in heaven. There was the grain mill just on the edge of town but away from the river that I find strange today now that it is gone.
There was a Ford dealer, Pontiac, Nash, Chevy and Dodge dealer too. Allis Chalmber tractors, Case and Moline. The Allis dealer lasted the longest then the Case dealer that also sold chain saws to the loggers in the area.
About 1960 or 61 they opened Evart Products who made plastic parts for American Motors. Many a farm wife got jobs there in the early years and a bunch of the kids I went to school with worked there and some still do.
The Muskegon river runs thru town which offered a place to swim fish and just fool around with any thing that would float and some times wouldn’t.
The movie theater was open till just before I could drive legal. Then you had to go to Reed City for a winter time movie.
I remember of the 4 hardware in town I liked the Gambles store best because they would sell a young boy a box of shot gun shells or just 5 if that is all you had money for . Western auto store had the best selection of cane poles and other fishing stuff. In fact I bought my first fly rod there back in 1969. Both hardwares are gone today, I still have the fly rod and reel.
The butcher shop was a neat place. My folks would go in there for fresh meat in the late spring and summer before we butchered in the fall. Fellow in there seemed to always have a hog head to give to my mom when she asked. She would take it home and boil it till the meat about fell off then grind it into head cheese.
School wasn’t bad except I hated being cooped up like that all day, early fall and late spring were the hardest times. At lunch time I would walk to the library down town and read a history Magazine and get a history book to take home.
Our farm was 2 ¾ miles from Avondale. Just think of my shock to learn there was a village called
Avondale near Rodchester latter in life.
It is a changed place today. Many people living in homes we once knew and were welcome in no longer live there. Stores we shopped in are gone also and many in some bussness treat us with distane just like a bussness In Pontiac Michigan would.

Al
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Old 09-16-2010, 02:46 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
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My son went to a really Terrific Camp in Evart this summer. The town looked like a nice little place when were were there, but then we only stopped for gas and food and drove around for ten minutes to see what it was like. The camp however was really incredible. I will think of the name of it evnetually. My son slept in an old military transport airplne that was convereted to a cabin. There was a train that was also converted to cabins, and several otehr neat sleeping arrangmenets. THey have a fabulous skate park, a giant climbing wall and huge zip line, fishing swimming, shooting, etc. It really was an amazing place and not outrageously expensive.
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Old 09-16-2010, 04:55 PM
 
Location: Boyne Country
809 posts, read 1,940,932 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens View Post
My son went to a really Terrific Camp in Evart this summer. The town looked like a nice little place when were were there, but then we only stopped for gas and food and drove around for ten minutes to see what it was like. The camp however was really incredible. I will think of the name of it evnetually. My son slept in an old military transport airplne that was convereted to a cabin. There was a train that was also converted to cabins, and several otehr neat sleeping arrangmenets. THey have a fabulous skate park, a giant climbing wall and huge zip line, fishing swimming, shooting, etc. It really was an amazing place and not outrageously expensive.
Spring Hill camp??
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Old 09-16-2010, 05:22 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
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Yes. That is it. He had a great time there and it was something like $500 for a week. That seems very cheap to me for what they offer. I cannot imagine how you could create a cooler place for a teen or pre-teen for camp. Anyway we thought that Evart looked like a reasonably nice place and considered coming back there for a camping weekend (I think we saw a campground somewhere). It is not easy to get there though. At least not when you are starting out 40 miles from Toledo.
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Old 09-16-2010, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Somewhere below Mason/Dixon
9,429 posts, read 10,700,516 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perferator View Post
Spring Hill camp??

I went to that camp as kid. Geeze that was 30 years ago. Glad to know it is still around.
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Old 09-16-2010, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
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I may have gone there too. I remember going to a neat camp where you stayed in either covered wagons or tee pees. The first say of camp you planned all your meals and then went shopping. We had to raid the other camps to get things that we forgot (we bought spagetti and forgot sauce). I am not sure if it was the same camp. I do nto remember the name of the camp that I went to but I loved it there. My sone said that Spring Hill used to have Teepees and covered wagons about 30 years ago (there are a few of the covered wagons left). If it is the smae place, it was nothing like it is now. Our big event was going "mucking" in a swamp (wading through waist deep gooey muck and throwing globs of disgusting slime at each other). Today, Spring Hill is a kid's wonderland.

What was it like when you went there?
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Old 09-16-2010, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Somewhere below Mason/Dixon
9,429 posts, read 10,700,516 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens View Post
I may have gone there too. I remember going to a neat camp where you stayed in either covered wagons or tee pees. The first say of camp you planned all your meals and then went shopping. We had to raid the other camps to get things that we forgot (we bought spagetti and forgot sauce). I am not sure if it was the same camp. I do nto remember the name of the camp that I went to but I loved it there. My sone said that Spring Hill used to have Teepees and covered wagons about 30 years ago (there are a few of the covered wagons left). If it is the smae place, it was nothing like it is now. Our big event was going "mucking" in a swamp (wading through waist deep gooey muck and throwing globs of disgusting slime at each other). Today, Spring Hill is a kid's wonderland.

What was it like when you went there?

I think I do remember the covered wagons. I never stayed in one though, I remember a regular cabin. From what I remember it was a very large camp, and even back then they had alot. I also remember they had themed camps as well. BMX bikes were very popular back then so I went to a BMX camp. Another year I went on a canoe trip on the pine river with Spring hill camp. We stayed at the camp for part of the time, the rest of the trip was on the river. The camp also had a Christian component to it then as well. I hope that is still part of the camp. I went 3 times if I am remembering correctly and it is a pleasant memory of my childhood.
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Old 09-17-2010, 08:37 AM
 
Location: Boyne Country
809 posts, read 1,940,932 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by danielj72 View Post
I think I do remember the covered wagons. I never stayed in one though, I remember a regular cabin. From what I remember it was a very large camp, and even back then they had alot. I also remember they had themed camps as well. BMX bikes were very popular back then so I went to a BMX camp. Another year I went on a canoe trip on the pine river with Spring hill camp. We stayed at the camp for part of the time, the rest of the trip was on the river. The camp also had a Christian component to it then as well. I hope that is still part of the camp. I went 3 times if I am remembering correctly and it is a pleasant memory of my childhood.
Yes, the christian component is still in place

Two years ago I'd watched a youtube vid of "Mikes Chair" band doing a concert there. The band is mainstream christian contemporary and would be a blast to attend anywhere, not to mention during camp.
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Old 09-17-2010, 11:49 AM
 
Location: Loving life in Gaylord!
4,120 posts, read 8,860,107 times
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We went camping there a few years ago. Nice place!
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Old 09-17-2010, 09:08 PM
 
Location: Volcano
81 posts, read 219,623 times
Reputation: 79
MY grandparents had a little place in Evart right on the Muskegon River before they passed. Back in the 70's and 80's us grandkids would all get to pick a 2 week slot to stay with the grandparents on summer break. Great memories of grandpa dropping us off by the bridge and tubing until we reached their house. Picking crawdads out of the river banks and fishing with grandpa. Sure wish we all had been able to hold on to that place. Holds a special place in my heart. The lady in the post office knew everyone.
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